NEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu has reacted as John Mahama, emerged winner of the Ghana election conducted on Saturday, December 7
Mahama, a candidate of the opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has been elected as Ghana’s president, although an official declaration has not been made
However, Yakubu shared his observation about the outcome of Saturday’s exercise, particularly Ghana adopting Nigeria’s electoral model (technology) and other lessons learned. …CONTINUE READING
Mahmood Yakubu, chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has stated that the just-concluded presidential and parliamentary elections in Ghana showed that the country has learnt some lessons from Nigeria.
He highlighted its innovations and political stability as key factors in the smooth conduct of the elections.
On Saturday, December 7, Ghanaians exercised their electoral responsibility by electing a new president and members of the parliament.
Mahamudu Bawumia, Ghana’s vice president and ruling party candidate, conceded defeat on Sunday, December 8, to opposition candidate and former President John Dramani Mahama.
Bawumia admitted Mahama won the country’s presidential election.
John Mahama, the candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has been elected as Ghana’s president.
Reacting to the development, the INEC chairman hailed the outcome of the polls, describing the process as “commendable,” and one that provides stability for Ghana and its citizens.
Lessons from Ghana’s election influenced by Nigeria
As reported by The Cable, Yakubu noted that the first lesson was the political parties’ stability.
The INEC chairman noted that, unlike many other countries, Ghanaians tend to remain loyal to their political parties even during general elections.
According to Yakubu, the second lesson was Ghana’s adoption of Nigeria’s approach to managing constituency election results. He noted that Ghana used electoral technology and took it to the next level, making it work in their system.
Previously, all results in Ghana, both presidential and parliamentary, were sent to the electoral commission’s headquarters in Accra. However, inspired by Nigeria’s practice, Ghana has now implemented a system where results for parliamentary elections are announced locally by returning officers in each constituency, with only the presidential results sent to Accra.
The INEC chairman stated thus:
“Although Ghana is not a federal system, they learnt from Nigeria, where you have returning officers who announce results for parliamentary elections in the various constituencies around the country. Only the presidential election results come to Accra.”
